Charges dropped against man accused of starting fire that left woman critically injured

A criminal charge against a man who was arrested in connection to a White Bear Lake fire that critically injured a woman in May has been dropped.

Christian Thomas Dahm, 45, had been charged with one count of negligent fire that resulted in great bodily harm and was facing up to five years in prison. Court documents dated Friday show that charge was dropped by the prosecutor.

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The fire broke out inside a fourplex residential building in the late night hours of May 14 off of Aspen Court near Interstate 694 and Highway 120.

The criminal complaint said 911 callers reported hearing “things blowing up” inside the home.

Firefighters rescued a woman who was married to Dahm’s father. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition and had to be placed on a ventilator due to difficulty breathing. She also suffered “slight burns,” court documents state.

Police say Dahm lived at the home where the fire broke out. He was found naked by police, except for a pair of pants around his ankles. Police then handcuffed him and he reportedly fell limp, fell to the ground and had to be carried away from the burning building.

While in custody, Dahm told an investigator that he was working on a fishing pole over a pan of motor oil when he lit a cigarette with a torch.

“All of a sudden, there was a fire,” Dahm told investigators.

Accounts from Dahm’s father and a neighbor indicate Dahm was yelling, throwing things around and making banging noises in the garage in the moments leading up to the fire.

Dahm’s father and his wife were allegedly concerned Dahm was high on methamphetamine and went to check on him. When they opened the door to the garage, Dahm’s father said it was “like everything exploded,” charging documents state.